They parted without ceremony.
Aiden insisted on walking Liora most of the way home, but he stopped a block short, far enough that it wouldn't look like she was being followed. Seren had already disappeared somewhere between two side streets, promising vaguely to "check a few things."
Liora didn't ask what that meant.
Her apartment was dark when she stepped inside. She kicked off her shoes and leaned her forehead briefly against the door, listening. Nothing followed her in. No pressure. No pull. Just the low hum of the city filtering through the windows.
She turned on a lamp.
The small pool of light felt fragile but comforting. She set her notebook on the table and sat, hands resting on the cover without opening it. For once, there was nothing demanding to be written down.
Her head still ached, a dull reminder of the strain she'd put herself through. She pressed her fingers to her temple and closed her eyes.
The echoes didn't come.
Instead, something else surfaced memories of her own. Her sister teaching her how to ride a bike. The sound of her laughter in the kitchen late at night. Ordinary things. Real things.
Liora swallowed.
For the first time since this had started, she wondered if holding on so tightly to the forgotten meant risking her own memories, thinning them out to make space for others. The thought unsettled her more than any shadow ever had.
She stood and went to the bathroom, splashing water on her face. Her reflection stared back at her, eyes a little too sharp, like someone who hadn't slept enough.
"Still me," she murmured.
The stabilizer sat on the counter. She picked it up, hesitating, then set it back down instead of putting it away. She wanted to know what quiet felt like without it.
The city outside carried on. Somewhere far off, a siren wailed, then faded. Somewhere closer, someone laughed.
Liora went to bed without turning off the lamp.
Sleep came slowly, but it came.
And when it did, there were no shadows waiting for her only the sense that she was standing at the edge of something vast, not falling in yet, just learning where the ground ended.